Dear Diary #2: Tegalalang Rice Terraces, Ubud Getaway, Birthday festivities + more!
3 weeks of living in Bali, and we are falling more in love with this place each day! This past week was full of so many memorable moments as we celebrated my birthday week!! My actual birthday was this past Friday the 27th, but Zach and I are big fans of celebrating birthday WEEK, because 24hrs just isn't long enough. ;) The week actually started off a little rough because I had Bali Belly ((aka a stomach ache most people get after spending some time here... but it is inteennnssse and not fun at all)). After laying low a few days, we couldn't wait to get out and about again. As I mentioned in my first Dear Diary post, we've been spending most days working in different cafes in Canggu. This past week we stumbled upon one of my most favorite ones yet called The Shady Shack! It was so yummy and is definitely a must for your next trip to Bali. One cafe we have seen time and time again on Instagram is called Peloton Supershop. We finally had the chance to give it a try and were SO incredibly impressed!! It is a vegan restaurant, and they have these amazing BBQ tacos made with pulled jackfruit to taste like pork, and a 'tricken parmesan' which actually tastes so much like chicken! It was so delicious, we've been back multiple times since!!
Another one of my favorite finds of the week was Kombuchi which is a kombucha brewing company! They let you taste as many flavors as you want before deciding on which one to buy... basically sounds like an ice cream shop, haha! If you aren't familiar, kombucha is a super probiotic drink that nourishes your body in ways that detoxify, energize, and help to support your immune system. Knowing how good they are for you makes them even more delicious, too! ;)
Here are a few of my favorite memories from this week:
1. "Family Dinner" with our housemates! The owner of the house we are living in, whose name is Yoga btw ((how sweet is that!)) is basically the kindest man ever. He wanted us all to feel at comfortable and like family in our "new home," so he hosted a family dinner for us to all get to know each other better! Zach and I absolutely love family dinners, so it was really special to us!
2. Stumbling upon Pererenan Beach! One night when we were chasing the sunset, which has become a regular occurrence these days, we found the nearest beach to us which is called Pereranan. It is so charming, and has this really cool statue right on the beach with a cute little combi van where you can order a drink while you watch the sunset. We come here quite frequently for sunset + surf sightings, after ordering a coconut, of course!
3. We finally sorted our visas and can officially stay in Bali for 1 year! We have to leave the country every 2 months, but we are good to stay for a full year now... that is, as soon as we pick our visas up in Kuala Lumpur at the end of next week! I have a feeling that mandatory visa runs won't be so bad... ;)
4. Pre-birthday festivities: massages + shopping! You guys, massages are SO cheap here it is ridiculous! We paid 100,000 IDR each for an hour long massage, which is only $7.40 USD! HA! How crazy is that?! I also got to do a little shopping before my birthday, and of course that was a highlight for me! There are countless boutiques in Canggu that I've had my eye on and I even enjoy just walking from place to place and looking at all the fun beachwear!
5. BIRTHDAY TRIP TO UBUD! Okay, so I have way too much fun on this weekend trip so I will have to share all about where we stayed in a different post! But like I mentioned before, Friday was my 28th birthday and Zach planned such an exciting day for me! We woke up super early... like 4am early... to drive our motorbike 1.5hrs up to Ubud!! I have been dying to go to Ubud for sooo long!! ((It is the place in Bali where 'Eat Pray Love' was filmed!)) Ubud is known for it's peaceful jungle vibes and is full of yogis, hippies, and artists.
6. Tegalalang Rice Terraces! Our goal was to shoot at the famous Tegalalang Rice Terraces at sunrise to beat the crowd, and that is exactly what we did! It was so epic-- the pictures don't even do it justice. It was unlike anything I have ever seen before!! This is an absolute MUST if you ever visit Bali! It is truly breathtaking to see!
7. Sacred Monkey Forest! After shooting at the rice terraces, we went to the Sacred Monkey Forest and got to see all the adorable monkeys in their natural habitat!! They are all so cute, but also pretty feisty! You can buy bananas to feed them, and they jump on you to get the food. It was so much fun to watch people's reactions, haha. They advise you to keep your belongings secure because the monkeys will snatch your stuff if you aren't paying attention... and they won't give anything back until you feed them! Lol! Sometimes the monkeys even jump on you if they think you might have food in your pockets or backpack, etc. One of the monkeys ended up jumping on me and nearly undressing me by pulling down my OTS dress searching for food!! Note to self: never wear an OTS dress to the monkey forest again, haha!
8. The famous BALI SWING! For as long as I can remember, I have always loved to swing! When I was little we had a swing set in our backyard and I spent so much time playing on it with my sisters. Every year at the fair, I always looked forward to riding the electrical swings and still enjoy them to this day, haha. Let's be honest, who doesn't love to swing?! After seeing so many pics of this giant swing overlooking the jungle in Bali, I couldn't wait to try it for myself!! And it did not disappoint!! You have to pay to enter, but your payment allows you to swing on as many swings as you want ((there are multiple at different levels!)), as many times as you want, as well as lunch and unlimited waters + sodas. They don't rush you to leave, and it was such a fun experience overall. I literally felt like a kid all over again, and don't think I stopped smiling the entire time we were there!
Bali is such a gorgeous place-- from the nature to the culture, I am completely blown away by the beauty of this island. I'm so thankful that I was able to be here to celebrate my birthday, and even more grateful to call this place home for now! I hope you guys enjoy this week's photos! Until next time... :)
Xo- Tara
Shop the ROVE red maxi + the OTS linen dress here!
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